Apparatus for the treatment of a web of material by a fluid



Sept. 7, 1965 c. VALLS 3,204,434 APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF A WEB 0F MATERIAL BY A FLUID Filed June 29, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 7, 1965 c. VALLS 3,204,434

APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF A WEB OF MATERIAL BY A FLUID Filed June 29. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 V4 W/l Unitcd States Patent 3,204,434 APPARATUS FOR THE 'IREATIVIENT OF A WEB OF MATERIAL BY A FLUID Conrado Valls, Consejo de Ciento 401, 3, 2, Barcelona, Spain Filed June 29, 1962, Ser. No. 206,289 Claims priority, application Spain, July 8, 1961, 269,684 2 Claims. (Cl. 68-181) This invention relates to continuous processes for the treatment of textile articles by means of a fluid, such articles including all classes of textile fibre of any kind, flock, spun or woven.

Objects of this invention are to improve the quality of the treated article; provide economy in raw materials; and reduce the treatment time, in processes involving the use of water such as in washing, scouring, bleaching, mercerizing, starching, breaking-down, and dyeing processes. In fact the processes may be of the type where any physical or chemical action of any fluid whether liquid, vapor or gas is exercised on flock, yarn or fabric.

It is known that conventional processes involving treatments by water present notable defects and are not economical, such processes consisting essentially of the action of a liquid or solution on a textile article in order to obtain determined characteristics of quality, appearance, cleanliness, etc., either in the final product or in an intermediate product to be further treated.

The above-mentioned deficiencies arise generally from the difficulty in obtaining a regular and intimate Contact between the fluid and the fabric or material, and from an excessive consumption of the fluid.

In known processes the material is submerged in a liquid which is stirred by a Worker, the desired result depending on the workers dexterity and attention and on the regularity of the circulation and temperature of the fluid in the vat or vessel, which regularity is very diflicult if not impossible to obtain. Also the impurities and residues, resulting from the action of the fluid on the material, remain in this fluid thus interfering with the attainment of the desired quality and action.

In modern processes, using controlled bath circulation by means of pumps, this intimate contact is obtained by the preparation of the fabric or material in baskets, banks or on a jig or winch, thus increasing the cost of anterior and posterior processes and in some cases presenting difiiculties in obtaining the regularity desired in spite of control of the bath, while the accumulation of the material in agglomerated forms introduces additional filtration problems with the possible retention of liquid impurities resulting from the process, involving subsequent high consumption of water in hot and cold washings.

Moreover, these methods of forced circulation of the liquid are not continuous as far as the fabric or material is concerned, thus losing one of the basic conditions of efi'iciency since they involve periodic loading and unloading, or intermittent activity.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided apparatus for the treatment of textile articles by means of fluid, by which apparatus there is expected a process which comprises conveying a textile article under controlled tension through a container carrying a controlled flow of fluid in contact with the article, the control of the flow regulating the quantity of fluid flowing, its pressure, and its temperature, the textile article being conveyed in a manner such that no direct contact between the article and the container occurs.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, ing diagrammatical drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of part of a first embodiment of apparatus for treating an article and indicates the path of travel of the article.

FIGURE 2 shows in greater detail a modified embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 1, and

FIGURE 3 is a view of a portion of a treatment chamber of the apparatus showing the passage therethrough of a textile article.

In the drawings there is shown an apparatus for treating a textile article 1 of strip form with a liquid, the apparatus including a rectangular section box enclosure 2 through which the article 1 is passed in intimate contact with liquid. The depth of the box enclosure 2, measured between the two widest sides thereof, is such that the spacing between the article and the upper and lower walls of the container, 3 and 4 respectively is just sufficient to allow forced circulation of the liquid which in consequence passes in intimate contact with the material 1 with no dead or isolated zones existing, and with no resultant products from the cleansing or chemical actions remaining in contact with the fabric owing to deficient circulation.

As shown in FIGURE 2 a series of boxes 2 as described above is arranged in inclined zig-zag form oflering a sinuous course of travel for the article 1 being treated.

For constructional purposes the resulting box assembly may be in the form of a single structure of metal or of other material. A loading mouthpiece 5 is situated at the upper part of the assembly of boxes 2, which mouthpiece may serve to obtain different velocities, pressures and temperatures of the fluid by varying the height of the upper edges 6 of the mouthpiece 5 with respect to the level of the liquid contained therein. These variations may be attained also by means of additional pressure pumps, which in the majority of cases are not necessary for the realization of this invention, a slight head at the part 5 being suflicient.

The circuit to be followed by the textile material may vary in accordance with the anterior and posterior processes combined with the process of this invention, there being provided a series of rollers 7 and 8 when a change in the direction of the material is required, which rollers may run loosely or may be driven by feed rollers 9 at such speeds that the tension of the material may be controlled in accordance with the requirements of the process.

The arrangement includes also a double heating and refrigerating chamber (not shown) which allows desired results to be obtained with a minimum consumption of energy.

In the process the article subjected to treatment is arranged in such a manner that it passes between the walls of the box 2, as shown in FIGURE 3, the article being separated from the Walls of the containing chamber by films of liquid 10 and 11, which films of liquid maintain the required separation.

The direction of circulation of the fluid, generally a liquid, will be preferably opposed to that of the textile article, thus obtaining a greater efliciency from the process.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for treating material in the form of a continuous flat rectangular web comprising a plurality of alternating horizontally inclined enclosures which are successively connected to form a zig-zag treating enclosure having an upper andlower opening open to the atmosphere, the enclosure being otherwise closed, means for engaging the material to be treated and passing the same under tension through the treating enclosure in an upwardly direction from the lower opening to the upper opening, said enclosures each having a rectangular crossto the accompany- (3 section corresponding to the cross-section of the material and larger thereof whereby the web may pass through the enclosure with clearance all the Way therearound, means for exerting a variable and determinable pressure on a treating liquid to cause the liquid to flow downwardly in the treating enclosure, the latter said means comprising a vertical mouthpiece portion on said treating enclosure at the upper opening and having a sufiicient height for containing treating liquid to a prescribed level in the mouthpiece portion for exerting a determinable pressure head on liquid in the treating enclosure to cause said liquid to flow downwardly by gravity and under pressure through said treating enclosure in countercurrent with the upwardly passing Web of material, whereby the treating liquid and web of material have a relatively great relative velocity, said enclosure closely confining the web of material to allow forced circulation of the liquid such that the liquid passes in intimate contact with the material while the relatively great velocity of the liquid with respect to the web of material tends to wash downwardly any residues which may form and thereby prevent any accumulation thereof, said liquid being in the form of a film surrounding said web of material to treat the same While maintaining the clearance of the material within the treating enclosure such that the ma- 0 terial will not contact the enclosure.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for passing the material through the enclosure comprises feed rollers located externally of the enclosure and guide rollers located within said enclosure.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 813,478 2/06 Zillessen 68-184 1,402,765 1/22 Haskell 68-481 1,403,126 1/ 22 Lyth 685.4 1,482,825 12/ 24 Stevens 68--175 1,867,210 7/32 Cohoe. 1,871,100 8/32 Walton et a1. 1,896,954 2/33 Heap 8-15l 2,054,852 9/36 Dreyfus. 2,203,678 6/40 Dursteler 8-151 3,058,327 10/62 Hablutzel 685.5 3,110,169 11/63 Suggs 68-5.4

FOREIGN PATENTS 202,959 4/59 Austria. 609,728 10/48 Great Britain.

IRVING BUNEVICH, Primary Examiner. MORRIS O. WOLK, WALTER A. SCHEEL, Examiners. 

1. APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF A CONTINUOUS FLAT RECTANGULAR WEB COMPRISING A PLURALITY OFALTERNATING HORIOZNTAL INCLINED ENCLOSURES WHICH ARE SUCCESSIVELY CONNECTED TO FORM A ZIG-ZAG TREATING ENCLOSURE HAVING AN UPPER AND LOWER OPENING OPEN TO THE ATMOSPHERR, THE ENCLOSURE BEING OTHERWISE CLOSED, MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE MATERIAL TO BE TREATED AND PASSING THE SAME UNDER TENSION THROUGH THE TREATING ENCLOSURE IN AN UPWARDLY DIRECTION FROM THE LOWER OPENING TO THE UPPER OPENING, SAID ENCLOSURES EACH HAVING A RECTANGULAR CROSSSECTION CORRESPONDING TO THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE MATERIAL AND LARGER THEREOF WHEREBY THE WEB MAY PASS THROUGH THE ENCLOSURE WITH CLEARANCE ALL THE WAY THEREAROUND, MEANS FOR EXERTING A VARIABLE AND DETEMINABLE PRESSURE ON A TREATING LIQUID TO CAUSE THE LIQUID TO FLOW DOWNWARDLY IN THE TREATING ENCLOSURE, THE LATTER SAID MEANS COMPRISING A VERTICAL MOUTHPIECE PORTION ON SAID TREATING ENCLOSURE AT THE UPPER OPENING AND HAVINGA SUFFICIENT HEIGHT FOR CONTAINING TREATING LIQUID TO A PRESCRIBED LEVEL IN THE MOUTHPIECE PORTION FOR EXERTINGA DETERMINABLE PRESSURE HEAD ON LIQUID IN THE TREATING ENCLOSURE TO CAUSE 